Or making wrappers with bottom fold by means of a cigarette wrapping machine

ABSTRACT

A device for making wrappers by folding a blank of paper, or the like, about a mandrel which is in the form of a parallelepiped in which the blank is pressed against the side surfaces of the mandrel during the said folding wherein the mandrel has at least one, preferably two side surfaces recessed so that the wrapper will be free on the mandrel following the folding and upon release of the pressure therefrom. Advantageously, the broader sides of the mandrel are the ones which are recessed.

Niepmann 1451 Apr. 30, 1974 DEVICE FOR MAKING WRAPPERS WITH BOTTOM FOLD BY MEANS OF A v CIGARETTE WRAPPING MACHINE [75] Inventor: Otto Niepmann,Gevelsberg,

Germany [73] 'Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Fr. Niepmann &

C0., Gevelsberg, Germany 211 Appl. b.;-270,233

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 22, 1971 Germany 2163784 [52] US. Cl 93/12 C, 93/36.05, 93/44, 93/59 ES [51] Int. Cl B31b l/30 [58] Field of Search 93/12 C, 12 R, 44, 44.1, 93/59 R, 59 ES, 39.1 P, 36.05, 36.8, 39.2,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,335,644 8/1967 Niepmann ..93/44X Vergobbi 93/59 ES X Eaton 93/12 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 624,943 1/1936 Germany 93/44.l

Primary ExaminerRoy Lake Assistant Examiner.lames F. Coan Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Walter Becker 57. 1 ABSTRACT A device for making wrappers by folding a blank of paper, or the like, about a mandrel which is in the form of a parallelepiped in which the blank is pressed against the side surfaces of the mandrel during the said folding wherein the mandrel has at least one, preferably two side surfaces recessed so that the wrapper will be free on the mandrel following the folding and. upon release of the pressure therefrom. Advantageously, the broader sides of the mandrel are the ones which are recessed.

' 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PA TEN'IEBAPR 30 I974 sum 2 OF 2 DEVICE FOR MAKING WRAPPERS WITI-I BOTTOM FOLD BY MEANS OF A CIGARETTE WRAPPING MACHINE The present invention relates to a device for making wrappers with bottom fold by means of a cigarette wrapping machine on a rotating apparatus with folding mandrels connected to a chain which chain above a conveyingpath for the cigarette blocks partially moves along a rectilinear path. One rectilinear section of the circulating chain has associated therewith a feeding device forthe wrapper blankand also has associated therewith longitudinal folding means, folding thumbs and folding switches (Faltweichen), whereas the other rectilinear section of the circulating chain has associated therewithin a pressing-on and heating strip for the folded bottom of the wrapper. Adjacent each folding mandrel there is arranged a holding member which following the longitudinal folding of the wrapper is placed upon the gluing seam and holds the wrapper on the folding mandrel until it reaches a wrapper with drawing station.

With the above described device for producing wrappers with bottom fold, the folding mandrels respectively comprise a base member fastened to the chain and also comprise a clamping member movable relative to the base member; for purposes of withdrawing the finished wrapper from the folding mandrel, the clamping member is with the aid of a control cam movable relative to the base member in such a way that the wrapper can be withdrawn from the folding mandrel by means of a gripper.

This two-sectional design of each folding mandrel requires not only an additional control but also requires a relatively great number of technical elements with regard to the mounting of the clamping member on the base member whereby automatically the folding mandrel acquires a considerable weight. Due to this great weight the working speed of the entire circulating device for the production of the wrappers is limited inasmuch as the stepwise moved chain, due to the great mass of the folding mandrel connected thereto, permits a limited acceleration only.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention so to simplify the above described device that the output of the circulating device can be increased.

This object and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the circulating device according to the invention carrying the folding mandrels.

FIG. 2 represents a vertical section through a folding mandrel in the position when it takes over the wrapper blank.

FIG. 3 illustrates a corresponding cross section through a folding mandrel in a position in which the wrapper blank is being pressed against the set-back pressing surfaces;

FIG. 4 shows a further cross section according to which the longitudinal folding of the wrapper blank is completed.

FIG. 5 is a cross section through the folding mandrel prior to the withdrawal of the completed wrapper.

The device according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that each folding mandrel is designed as a one piece member in the form of a parallelepiped with at least one pressing-on surface which is set back relative to the longitudinal edges, the wrapper blank being pressed against the set back pressing-on surface during the folding operation.

By pressing the wrapper blank against the depressed or set back pressing-on surface of the folding mandrel during the folding operation, a greater circumference of the wrapper relative to the corner measurements of the folding mandrel is obtained so that the wrapper after being released by the holding member can without difficulties be withdrawn from the one-piece folding mandrel. As a result thereof, the mandrel can be produced as a single piece in a simple design and of low weight. The working speed of the entire circulating device is thus not harmfully affected, neither by a great weight of the folding mandrel nor by the necessity of having to provide special control steps for the folding mandrels.

According to a further feature of the invention, the wrapper blanks are by means of stationary pressing elements arranged at the folding stations pressed against the set back pressing-on surfaces of the circulating folding mandrel. The pressing elements are, according to the present invention, designed as brushes.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wide sides of the mandrels are provided-with depressed or set back pressing-on surfaces.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows only a conveyor 1 of the cigarette wrapping machine along which blocks of cigarettes 3 enclosed in a foil wrapper are conveyed by means of followers 2. Each block 3 is to be inserted into a wrapper 4 of paper which wrapper is produced by means of a circulating device above the conveyor 1 and is deposited with its open front end face facing in the direction of the oncoming cigarette blocks 3 upon the conveyor 1. During the insertion of the cigarette block 3 into the wrapper 4, the wrapper 4 is held fast by means of a controlabutment which following the insertion is moved out of the path of movement of the cigarette blocks 3.

The circulating device employed for preparing the wrappers 4 is provided with a plurality of folding mandrels 6 connected to an endless chain 7 which circulates in steps. This chain 7 is driven by a driving roller 8 and is additionally passed around a deviating roller 9 which latter in the specific embodiment shown is located vertically above the driving roller 8. In view of this arrangement, two rectilinear sections are obtained for the folding mandrels 6 connected to the circulating chain 7. It is within the range of these rectilinear sections that the wrappers 4 are folded.

Behind that circulating section which in the drawing is located on the right-hand side there is arranged a feeding device 10 for the wrapper blanks 11 for making the wrappers 4. The wrapper blanks 11 are withdrawn from a magazine 12 by means of a suction device 13 and are provided with glue at the respective areas by means of a glue applying roller 14 having gluing segments. By means of a controlled lever 15 the wrapper blank 11 provided with the glue is moved onto a folding mandrel 6 the wide sides of which extend in a direction parallel to the path of movement.

The folding mandrel 6 which carries the wrapper blank 11 arrives during its stepwise movement in the region of longitudinal folding means 16 which bring about a lateral folding of the wrapper4. By means of a controlled folding thumb or hook l7 and by means of folding switches 18 and 19 the wrapper bottom is produced so that the mandrel 6 carries a finish folded wrapper 4 when it enters the upper arched circulating section. The oppositely located rectilinear circulating section has arranged thereon a movable pressing-on and heating strip 20 by means of which the wrapper bottom is pressed on and the bottom glue connection is solidified.

Adjacent each folding mandrel 6 thereis provided a holding device 21 which is likewise connected to chain 7 and is under the pressure of a-spring. This holding device 21 will after completion of the longitudinal folding step be deposited upon the gluing seam of the wrapper 4 and will exert a pressure thereon until the wrapper 4 is withdrawn from the folding mandrel 6. For purposes of transferring the completed wrapper 4 to a wrapper transfer device 22 which is located below the driving roller 8for' chain 7, the holding device 21 is by means of a pressure lever 23 lifted off the folding-mandrel 6 so that the wrapper 4 can be withdrawn from the folding mandrel6 in downward direction.

FIGS. 2 to 5 respectively by way of a cross section through a folding mandrel 6 four different positions of the folding mandrel 6 and four different manufacturing stages for the wrapper 4. In addition thereto these figures also show the design of the folding mandrel 6.

As will be seen in particular from the cross section of FIG. 2, each folding mandrel 6 is designed in the manner of a parallelepiped with set back wide sides which serve as pressing on surfaces 6a. These surfaces 6a which are set back relative to the longitudinal edges 6b will during the manufacture of the wrapper 4 result in a circumference of the wrapper 4 which is greater than the circumference resulting from measuring from corner to corner so that the wrapper can without difficulties be withdrawn from the folding mandrel 6 by means of the wrapper transfer device 22 when the mandrel 6 occupies its lower position.

FIG. 2 furthermore illustrates how the wrapper blank 11 is placed in front of the upwardly moving folding mandrel 6. FIG. 3 shows the folding over of the wrapper blank 11 in a direction counter to the direction of movement of the folding mandrel 6 so that the wide sides of the folding mandrel 6 are covered by the wrapper blank 11. During this folding operation, .the wrapper blank 11 is pressed against the set back surfaces 6a 'of the foldingmandrel 6 by means of stationary brushes 24. The location of the brushes 24 in the region of the rectilinear circulating section is shown in FIG. 1.

After the wrapper blank has been pressed against the surfaces 6a of the folding mandrel 6, the holding member 21 is lifted off the folding mandrel 6 as shown in FIG. 3. After the holding member 21 has been lifted off, the longitudinal folding members 16 become effective which form the longitudinal seam of the wrapper 4. As soon as this longitudinal seam has been completed, the holding member 21 is again moved onto the folding mandrel 6 so that it will hold the just formed longitudinal seam and a displacement of the wrapper 4 on mandrel 6 will be prevented during the now effected folding of the wrapper bottom by means of the folding thumb 1 7 and the folding switches 18 and 19. The cross section according to FIG. 5 also shows that the completed wrapper 4 is loosely arranged on the folding mandrel6 which is equipped with the set back pressingon surfaces 6a when the wide sides of the wrapper 4 are no longer pressed against the surfaces 6a. When in this position, which corresponds to the transfer position of the wrapper 4, the holding member 21 is by means of the lever 23 lifted off the folding mandrel 6, the completed wrapper 4 can be withdrawn from the mandrel 6 without any difficulties.

The lower portion of FIG. 1 indicates that the withdrawal of the wrapper 4 from the folding mandrel 6 is effected by means of a withdrawing gripper 25 which merely carries out a vertical reciprocatory movement and is equipped with lateral suction nozzles. In the lower position of the gripper 25, the wrapper is taken over by a depositing gripper 26 which carries out a pure pivotal movement and places the wrapper 4 with its small side upon the conveyor 1. This position of wrapper 4 is indicated by dot-dash lines in FIG. 1. Before the next cigarette block 3 arriving on the conveyor 1 can be introduced into the wrapper 4, it is necessary to place the wrapper 4 on its wide side. This is effected by means of a continuously rotating lever 27 which is located below the conveyor 1 and which for turning over the wrapper 4 cooperates with counter holding and guiding plates not illustrated in the drawings. Following this step, the wrapper 4 is by means of the control abutment 5 held until the cigarette block 3 is within the wrapper 4 so that the cigarette block 3 provided with the paper wrapper can be moved on for closing the wrapper 4.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular showing in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a device for folding flat blanks of paper or the like into box-like wrappers, each of which has a peripheral side 'walland each of which is closed at one end and open at the other end; an endless conveyor element moveable along a path which has two straight reaches and end portions connecting the ends of said reaches, a plurality of unitary folding mandrels having one end connected to said conveyor element and distributed along the conveyor element and each having a free projecting outwardly from the conveyor element, feed means along one of said reaches for feeding blanks to said mandrels while'applying adhesive to predetermined regions of each blank which will overlap when the blank is folded about the respective mandrel, first folding means for folding the blank about the mandrel to bring the edges of the blank into overlapping relation to form the side wall of the wrapper and second folding means for folding the blank over the free end of the mandrel to form the closed end of said wrapper, a holding member adjacent each mandrel holding the overlapped edges of the blank against the mandrel, pressure means along the other reach of the conveyor element holding the folded over blanks against the free ends of said mandrels, and means for withdrawing the wrappers from the mandrels, each said mandrel comprising a parallelepiped having four parallel edges, at least one surface of said mandrel disposed between an adjacent pair of said edges being recessed, and said first folding means pressing said blanks against said one recessed surface during the folding of said blanks whereby the completed wrapper is unfolded free on said mandrel for easy removal therefrom.

2; A device in combination according to claim 1 in which said first folding means includes at least one element stationarily mounted adjacent said conveyor element and operable during movement of said conveyor element to press each said blank against said one surface of the respective mandrel.

3. A device in combination according to claim 2 which includes means for withdrawing said holding members from said mandrels during the withdrawing of wrappers from said mandrels and'also during the treatment of said blank by said first folding means.

4. A device in combination according to claim 2 in which said one element is a brush.

5. A device in combination according to claim 1 in which each mandrel has two broader side surfaces and two narrower side surfaces, and both of said broader side surfaces are recessed relative to the plane of the edges between which the said broader side surfaces extend.

6. A unitary mandrel about which a paper blank is adapted to be folded to form a wrapper, said mandrel comprising in combination a parallelepiped with four parallel edges and side surfaces extending between said edges with two opposed ones of said surfaces being broader than the other two of said surfaces, each said broader surface being recessed toward the center of said mandrel from the plane which contains the said edges at the opposite sides of the respective surface whereby a paper blank folded about said mandrel while being pressed against the said surfaces of the mandrel will be unfolded free on said mandrel when the pressure thereon is released. 

1. In combination with a device for folding flat blanks of paper or the like into box-like wrappers, each of which has a peripheral side wall and each of which is closed at one end and open at the other end; an endless conveyor element moveable along a path which has two straight reaches and end portions connecting the ends of said reaches, a plurality of unitary folding mandrels having one end connected to said conveyor element and distributed along the conveyor element and each having a free projecting outwardly from the conveyor element, feed means along one of said reaches for feeding blanks to said mandrels while applying adhesive to predetermined regions of each blank which will overlap when the blank is folded about the respective mandrel, first folding means for folding the blank about the mandrel to bring the edges of the blank into overlapping relation to form the side wall of the wrapper and second folding means for folding the blank over the free end of the mandrel to form the closed end of said wrapper, a holding member adjacent each mandrel holding the overlapped edges of the blank against the mandrel, pressure means along the other reach of the conveyor element holding the folded over blanks against the free ends of said mandrels, and means for withdrawing the wrappers from the mandrels, each said mandrel comprising a parallelepiped having four parallel edges, at least one surface of said mandrel disposed between an adjacent pair of said edges being recessed, and said first folding means pressing said blanks against said one recessed surface during the folding of said blanks whereby the completed wrapper is unfolded free on said mandrel for easy removal therefrom.
 2. A device in combination according to claim 1 in which said first folding means includes at least one element stationarily mounted adjacent said conveyor element and operable during movement of said conveyor element to press each said blank against said one surface of the respective mandrel.
 3. A device in combination according to claim 2 which includes means for withdrawing said holding members from said mandrels during the withdrawing of wrappers from said mandrels and also during the treatment of said blank by said first folding means.
 4. A device in combination according to claim 2 in which said one element is a brush.
 5. A device in combination according to claim 1 in which each mandrel has two broader side surfaces and two narrower side surfaces, and both of said broader side surfaces are recessed relative to the plane of the edges between which the said broader side surfaces extend.
 6. A unitary mandrel about which a paper blank is adapted to be folded to form a wrapper, said mandrel comprising in combination a parallelepiped with four parallel edges and side surfaces extending between said edges with two opposed ones of said surfaces being broader than the other two of said surfaces, each said broader surface being recessed toward the center of said mandrel from the plane which contains the said edges at the opposite sides of the respective surface wHereby a paper blank folded about said mandrel while being pressed against the said surfaces of the mandrel will be unfolded free on said mandrel when the pressure thereon is released. 